Newbie looking for 'OLD SCHOOL' advice...

pretendKILLA · #1 03-16-2011, 10:01 PM

Greetings,

I am new to this website, and this is my first post so I apologize if its in the wrong section.

I am guitar player, but recently have picked up playing the bass to be in a rock n roll band with my brother.
I have an American Fender P-Bass, and right now I'm playing through some mediocre Marshall bass combo that I bought for band rehearsals.

Our band is in the Rock genre, with our sound being a mix between early Neil Young and the White Stripes if I had to choose two styles.
Anyways, we just finished up a 4 song demo and are going to start gigging bars and venues around the Bay Area soon and I wanted to upgrade my amp.

I'm looking for a reasonably affordable tube combo/half stack that can get me a pretty 'mean' saturated tone. Within the 1000-1800 dollar range. Something that will last getting beat up, but my main concern is the tone.

Sorry for the long post, any help would be greatly appreciated!

semiprohooker · #2 03-16-2011, 10:43 PM

For that kind of coin, you should easily be able to scoop up a used SVT setup.

JimmyM · #3 03-16-2011, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semiprohooker

For that kind of coin, you should easily be able to scoop up a used SVT setup.

+1.

Sartori · #4 03-17-2011, 01:17 AM

Probably a lot easier to find than a tube combo for bass, too.

AwkwardLoudness · #5 03-17-2011, 07:37 AM

I agree. Get a used Ampeg SVT-VR or vintage SVT for rock tones and tube saturation. For the cab, a Bergantino NV610 would be a solid choice.

Zoa · #6 03-17-2011, 07:41 AM

Used Ampeg SVT.

Gearhead17 · #7 03-17-2011, 07:46 AM

Should be able to grab a used SVT CL or VR head with an 810 for just under $1800 off of craigslist. I would follow what the rest of the guys are talking about! Mean tone, rock sound all the way and plenty of volume on any stage.

KK Jale · #8 03-17-2011, 07:54 AM

If you're prepared to alter your tube spec to just a tube preamp, then the Orange Terror Bass 500. Gritty, punchy and potentially hellacious loud.

Either with the Orange SP212 cab or with any 500w-handling 2x12 or 4x10 you fancy.

dukeorock · #9 03-17-2011, 08:11 AM

If you want classic, 'old school' most everyone back then was on the SVT...heavy as hell, and I would say inconsistent...all tube amps, over the years get repaired and sometimes the tech ruins the sound in the process...using the wrong tranny, etc. Though I totally get the appeal of vintage guitar amps, I don't feel that way about bass amps at all. They suffer more abuse...all that vibration, etc...I have little interest in old, worn out stuff as much as I miss some of my old amps. I don't know if anyone will agree, but my favorite Bass guitar amp of all time is the original SVT2, or Mesa 400+, but thats ONLY if they haven't been tampered with over the years. All that being said, a great set of hands and ears can make literally hundreds of different amps sound great.

pretendKILLA · #10 03-18-2011, 08:41 PM

wow thank you everybody for the advice.
looks like the verdict is the svt.

I will need to go check one out within the next month to make sure I dig it.
Anyone know where I can try out orange amps?
I've been to a couple of local guitar centers and have never seen orange amps in store.

Just curious to see what kinda sound I can get with them.

thanks again for the input!

**Thor** · #11 03-18-2011, 08:47 PM

You have a LOT of reading to do here in the amps forum before you buy. There are many, many options both new and used in your price range.

Take the time to edify yourself in the world of bassists, and then make informed choices best for your needs. Believe me, Ampeg is not the only great amp out there. There are many more.

runmikeyrun · #12 03-18-2011, 10:59 PM

i'm warning you.... this forum is a wealth of advice, but for a question like yours you're going to get as many different suggestions as posters. It can be really hard to make a decision based on forum advice. I have and been sorry.

Go to some music stores, bring your bass (important- it's your sound!) and try different amp and cab setups. Don't be fooled if it sounds loud in the music store, i'd say 300w tube or 700w solid state is enough. And whatever you do, DONT listen to the salesmen at the music store, they just want to sell you what management is currently pushing and/or what they can make good commission off of. And DONT tell them how much you want to spend!

pretendKILLA · #13 03-22-2011, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by runmikeyrun

i'm warning you.... this forum is a wealth of advice, but for a question like yours you're going to get as many different suggestions as posters. It can be really hard to make a decision based on forum advice. I have and been sorry.

Go to some music stores, bring your bass (important- it's your sound!) and try different amp and cab setups. Don't be fooled if it sounds loud in the music store, i'd say 300w tube or 700w solid state is enough. And whatever you do, DONT listen to the salesmen at the music store, they just want to sell you what management is currently pushing and/or what they can make good commission off of. And DONT tell them how much you want to spend!

Well, I'm not a newbie when it comes music and gigging. Damn near every employee at my local guitar center are dicks and I know more about equipment than them.

I just posted this to see where I could begin my search for a new rig, since there's so many different brands/set ups.

My best bet would be to go to a independent guitar shop, probably in SF because they usually seem to have a better brand variety and they know their stuff.

Thank you all for responses.

JjjonnyY · #14 04-05-2011, 05:47 PM

Well i could suggest 2 bass heads and 1 extra

here's my picks for the Rock n Roll Frequencies

AGUILAR DB 751 @750 watts (hybrid tube)
ORANGE AD200B MKIII (full tube)

... if you don't mind if it's Solid State

The AGUILAR AG500 @500 watts